Beaches

Scientists at the University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Lab are predicting what could be the state's worst seaweed season.

Northwest Florida lawmakers have said the 2018 law created fierce battles in Walton County between waterfront property owners and other people seeking to use beaches.

Lawmakers have moved forward with a repeal after widespread complaints about waterfront property owners in Walton County preventing people from using beaches.

Audubon of Florida and state wildlife officials remind beach-goers to stay away from nests, and keep dogs on leashes near or along the shoreline.

Some beaches in South Florida closed Saturday when the tar balls washed ashore. Those beaches have since reopened.

Doctors say there’s no need in most cases to wait. That old warning stems from worry that people might drown or struggle because blood will be diverted to their full stomachs instead of their muscles.

Environmentalists remain perplexed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' recent veto of a wildly popular bipartisan bill to safeguard the state’s coastlines and protect the health of beachgoers because he believed it gave the Florida Department of Health too much power.

Digging in sand might seem innocent, but if the hole is deep enough and collapses on a person, it is extremely difficult to escape. Research suggests more people die from sand burial suffocation than shark attacks.

Officials say six people drowned in rip currents over a recent two-day period in Florida, including a couple vacationing on Hutchinson Island from Pennsylvania with their six children and three young men on a Panhandle holiday from Alabama.

Paola Barranco runs a startup that pulverizes recycled glass in to sand. She thinks it could be an attractive, environmentally friendly option in a state with a shortage of quality beach sand.

They're currently not allowed on its public beach. A vote could mean they would also be illegal on private beaches.

Caladesi Island State Park, near Dunedin and Clearwater, ranked fourth for the second straight year. It was one of two Florida beaches in the top 10